


RED

by crookedloves



Category: Phandom, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), youtube - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mentions of Taylor Swift, Non-Canon Relationship, Phanfiction, Songfic, Taylor Swift song, YouTube, based on a taylor swift album, not me!!!, these two are such dorks tho it's unbelievable, who knows what to tag?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-21 12:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4828907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crookedloves/pseuds/crookedloves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan Howell and Phil Lester, two complete and strangers, meet because of Dan's inability to look away from his phone and Phil's inability to resist animal facts. The aftermath of this meeting - the passion, the breathlessness (literally), the newness, the fearlessness - can only be described as bright, burning, red.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. busy streets, busy lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil is incredibly grate-ful for the Chinese water deer.

_I'm walking fast through the traffic lights,_  
_busy streets and busy lives_  
_And all we know, is touch and go_

Dan Howell was on his phone, as usual. It was necessary, on the rare occasions he might have even the  _slightest_  form of human interaction. It was the bane of his existence, human interaction was.

Dan didn't look where he was going, as he was completely engrossed in his Twitter feed. This was a huge problem for him because more often than not he bumped into something, like a pole, or someone's mum. The only time he ever looked up, to see a huge sea of heads and a gray London sky, was when he needed to cross the road, like right now. He might be prone to multiple crises of existentiality, but he didn't want to die before he could answer the great "why?". Looking left, then right, he crossed the street with 30 seconds to spare.

\--------------  
Phil Lester was on the other side of the street, waiting to cross whilst checking a website he had found online about animals. Apparently, he learned, the newborn Chinese water deer is so small it can fit in the palm of a hand! Phil was pondering the feasibility of this. How could something so small turn into something so big?

And then, because he had the sense of humor of a twelve year old, he immediately thought, "That's what she said".

Phil was so engrossed in the 300 Random Animal Facts page that he completely failed to notice everyone else moving to cross the street. By the time he looked up, cars were whizzing past his face, and he was alone.

Well,  _almost_ alone.

There was another boy there too, taller than him, with brown hair and brown eyes and a dimple.  _He has great taste in music_ _,_ Phil thought as he noticed the boy was wearing a Muse shirt. Despite Phil looking over at him, he was staring down at his phone and had apparently not noticed Phil was there. He was facing the other way.  _He must have crossed just now._ Phil thought, slightly irritated at himself, and slightly irritated at the Chinese water deer too.

The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife, so Phil cleared his throat. The other boy looked up, eyes wide, startled. Then, noticing Phil, gave him a sheepish grin. "Hi." he said. "Sorry, I didn't notice you there." and he laughed. It was a nice laugh, the sort that made you think of Ferris wheels and balloons.

"That's okay, it's been scientifically proven phones are _more interesting_ than humans anyway."

The boy laughed again. Phil awkwardly shifted and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Phil."

The boy looked at him with a kind of twinkle in his eye as he took it and said "Hi, I'm Dan."

They talked a bit more after that, about Muse and Fall Out Boy and how Phil thought cheese was grosser than a 90-foot statue of Jabba the Hutt.

Dan was about to remark on his companion's poor taste in dairy when his phone buzzed. He looked down and his face fell. "Oh, I should go. It's my girlfriend."

 _Oh._ Phil thought, and he was surprised to find he was disappointed.  _He has a girlfriend._

He cleared his throat. "Alright, well, give me your number so we can talk again sometime." he paused. "I mean, if you want to."

Dan smiled and reached his hand out for Phil's phone. " _Cheesy_ line, but that would be  _grate_."

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first (phan)fiction so feedback is welcome! Thanks for reaching the end of this chapter :^)


	2. 'till it hurts or bleeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil is 100% over Dan. Okay, 95%. Or maybe not at all.

_You come around and the armor falls_  
_Pierce the room like a cannon ball,_  
_And all we know, is don't let go_

Dan was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his breath visible in the cold air. He was waiting, had been waiting for ten minutes now.  _Where the fuck is Phil?_ he thought impatiently.

The two had been texting (and skyping) back and forth for weeks, and had planned to meet thrice before but heaps of metaphorical shit got in the way: mostly Dan's girlfriend, but Phil understood.

Dan was getting anxious now.  _Oh God,_ he thought,  _what if he was murdered horribly?_ He shook that thought off, sighed, and switched his phone on.

Exactly at that moment, Phil Lester was running. Running. Phil hadn't run in ages, and he was getting a stitch in his side, but it couldn't be helped. He had to make up for lost time, lost because of his houseplants' constant need for watering. Wheezing, he turned the corner and saw a tall figure waiting for him, and he didn't look happy.

Dan heard a high-pitched heave reminiscent of a woman in labor and looked up from his phone. It was Phil. "You twat!" he said, knowing this was probably the wrong foot to get off on. "Bloody hell! What took you so long?"

Phil looked down at his feet and mumbled something about houseplants and socks. Dan grinned slightly, because this was just like Phil. "I was joking, you spork! Let's get inside, I'm half frozen." he said, pointing to a nearby Starbucks.

The day went on, with Dan and Phil sitting at a small table in a corner of Starbucks and just - talking. They talked about everything, from Phil's job at YouTube to Dan's Malteser obsession. Dan was _relaxing_ , something he hadn't done in months. His second year at university had just started, and his girlfriend was - well - another story. Around Phil, he felt like a whole other, better personand he didn't want that person to leave.

 _We are alone with our changing minds,_  
_We fall in love 'till it hurts or bleeds_  
_or fades in time._

It turns out that person was here to stay a bit longer, because a few months after that first meeting, Dan and Phil had decided to move in together. Phil was completely sure he was over that tiny crush. 100 percent. Well, 98 percent. Or 75? Besides, Dan had a girlfriend. He was straight, as far as Phil knew.  _No homo, Howell._ Phil thought amusedly, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit bitter about it too.

The flat was empty, except for three stacks of boxes shoved into a corner. Phil groaned inwardly, thinking of the amount of effort it would take to unpack them.

Dan walked in, his hair all curled because he hadn't bothered straightening it today. He grinned as he surveyed the place, and Phil's heart did a little flip.  _Fuck_. he thought.  _Fifty percent. I am definitely fifty percent over it._  "Well decorated, isn't it?" Dan quipped and moved over to the boxes and started unstacking them.  _Damn it._ Phil thought. _Twenty five percent_ _. Completely twenty five percent._

Later that week, after blood, sweat, tears, and multiple cactus pricks, the flat had been fully furnished. To celebrate, Dan and Phil decided to go to Shakeaway, which Phil would've loved under any other circumstances. The only problem was, Dan had decided it was about time Phil met his girlfriend. "Come on!" he had said. "You'll be seeing her around anyway, now that we live together."

Phil pushed the door open as Dan looked over his shoulder, craning his neck to see if his girlfriend was there. When he saw her, he pointed her out to Phil, and Phil's heart twisted. "Mia!", Dan called.

 _Mia_. Phil thought.  _That's her name._ Though he had desperately wanted for her to be horribly ugly, he had to admit she was most definitely not. She had blonde hair to her waist, and wide, green eyes that seemed to know .

"Dan!" she got up from her seat and ran to him, kissing him firmly on the mouth. Phil grimaced, uncomfortable around kissing couples even if it hadn't been Dan and the prettiest girl in the entirety of _Europe_. Quickly, he twisted the grimace into a smile, because she turned to him and said, "Phil! It's so nice to finally meet you! Dan talks about you all the time!"

 _Does she_ _have_ _to be so fucking nice?_ Phil thought.  _Thanks, God. You couldn't have made her Regina George?_

This was going to be a long day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very State of Grace trash. That is all.


	3. Part 1/Chapter 3 - State of Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neither Dan nor Phil are sure what to do. And then, they are.

_So you were never a saint,  
_ _and I’ve loved in shades of wrong_

The air as Dan and Phil left the Shakeaway, in the literal sense, was crisp and clean, albeit a bit polluted. The air in the metaphorical sense was nowhere near as pleasant. Dan’s face was pulled into a slight frown as though he was thinking about something unpleasant, like his grandma naked. He was too quiet, and now Phil felt awkward. Had he said something? As far as he knew he’d been perfectly pleasant towards Mia, who had left early for a dentist appointment, despite the fact that it had taken all his willpower not to walk right out of the room.

“Phil?”

Finally, a tiny crack in the ice. “Yeah, Dan?”

“Have you ever been in love?”  

_Well, that took a sharp turn._

Honestly, Phil wasn’t quite sure if he had. He knew Dan kept him up at night. He knew he wanted to do all sorts of things (many of which were unspeakable) to that boy. He knew he certainly felt something more than physical attraction. But love? Maybe someday, but not today. Then he remembered Mia, and pushed all thoughts of "love" out of his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“I have.”

At this point, Phil felt like he was being slowly roasted over an open flame. “You have?”

“Yeah. I fell in love with Mia around two years ago, but — I don’t know. It’s not really the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like, yeah, she’s great, and smart, and funny, and all of that. But it’s not like a year ago, when I would have given her everything. I would’ve sold my soul if she wanted it. I thought she was my soulmate. It’s more like, I enjoy spending time with her, but she doesn’t send fireworks throughout my whole body anymore. Besides, there’s —“ Dan stopped, not just talking, but walking, abruptly.

“There’s..?” Phil said, grabbing Dan by the elbow and pulling him to the edge of the sidewalk

“Y’know what, Phil, I’m sorry for laying this all on you. You probably don’t want to hear this.”

“Dan, you are my biffle, and this is what biffles are for.”

Dan smiled, just a little bit, and Phil’s heart did approximately fifteen pushups and eighteen cartwheels.

“Okay, then. The thing is, Phil, there’s this other person. And they do all that stuff. They make my heartbeat dangerously erratic. They make me want to be reckless and do everything with them. They make me incredibly happy, more so than Mia, and I know she’s my girlfriend, and oh dear God this is wrong and I shouldn't feel like this and they might not even feel the same way and I don’t know what to do — I don’t know what to _do_ , Phil!” Dan’s voice rose higher and higher.

“Dan, calm down.” Phil said, grabbing his friend’s arm. “Are you sure your thing for the other girl isn’t just a _passing_ thing?”

“It’s been months.” Dan said miserably.

“Oh. You’re screwed.”

This elicited a groan from Dan. “What do I _do_ , Phil?” 

Phil, genuinely confused and with a supreme lack of helpful advice, felt his mouth go dry as his brain desperately searched for _some way_ to help Dan. Just because Dan wasn’t _his,_ it didn’t mean he wanted him to be _unhappy_.

“I don’t know! I guess, you, uh, tell the girl first? Because she might not reciprocate the feeling things and you shouldn’t risk what you have with Mia for nothing? I don’t know, Dan! Here, shed some light on the situation. What’s the girl like?” He was dreading another “intelligent-funny-pretty” combination.

Dan didn’t say anything for a few moments, and just when Phil was starting to get unnerved, he got a few words out. Well, one word.

“…Girl?”

Now it was Phil’s turn to be slightly speechless. “Yeah, girl? As in, female? As in, the gender preferred by heterosexual males?”

Dan shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. “Unbelievable.”

“What?”

Just as quickly as the smile came, it slipped away. Dan didn’t say anything, just swallowed hard and looked at him, eyes darkened, as though he was trying to read his mind and memorise his face. Phil suddenly became _very_ aware of the fact that his hand was still resting on Dan’s arm, sending electrical currents up and down his entire goddamned body. Suddenly, Dan let out a sharp, what-the-hell kind of gasp and threw his arms around Phil's neck and —

— he kissed him.

And Phil was a boy, who was falling in love with another boy, so what else could he do but kiss him back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooo boy, how long has it been since I updated? Eight months? Yikes, I'm really sorry about. I was going through a lot of crap but hey, I'm doing better and I'm enjoying writing again, so I'll be updating more regularly, as well as editing the other two chapters, as well as writing other fics for Friends and Doctor Who :^)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this 12:30 a.m. caffeine product!
> 
> ((Also I was phantasticswift but I changed my username to crookedloves because I like it better))


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